What If Continued : Lost Hope
by Yondaime-dono
Summary: Rating more of a preemptive warning than a promise. DARKFIC. When a major error leads to the fall of the shinobi world as we know it...those who survive are given a final mission that they cannot afford to lose...UPDATED! Prologue complete.
1. A Dire Miscalculation

From the "What If" Story Arc:

**_Lost Hope_**

**_Prologue I : A Dire Miscalculation_**

****

The sky flickered between light and dark, as though Kami-sama were flipping a light switch off and on. The lightning was quite unsettling. Slowly, a hand reached and touched the glass of a window…the red, painted nails of the hand scratching slightly against the smooth surface. Dark brown, expressionless eyes carefully scanned the outside, taking a look at the deep purple skies covered in foreboding clouds. Somewhere behind the raging storm, the sun was setting…but no one, even Uchiha Itachi, could see the silver lining on these clouds.

_Something is deadly wrong…_Itachi caught himself thinking. Rarely did the summer weather in Water Country get this intense…it was making his senses become quite heightened. Call it intuition, but he knew something was urgently wrong.

Watching the wind blow the smaller trees of Water Country around, his eyes caught sight of one in particular…the wind tossed it back and forth, and suddenly tore the top of the tree away. _This wind…is powerful enough to stop a shinobi in his tracks…what is going on? _Suddenly, he noticed that the other trees were not being affected in nearly the same way…

Without turning from the window, he focused his eyesight on the reflections he could see. "Kisame."

Behind him, he heard a sudden shift. Kisame must have dosed off back there. "What, Itachi…storms make me dream of swimming…"

"Kisame…have I ever given you an order that was not in the best interest of our missions?"

No answer. Itachi watched the reflections from the window carefully, noticing the blond hair of his partner in crime suddenly rise into the images on the glass. Soon, his pale white, animal-like face could be seen, as could his arms, stretched above his head. Itachi heard the man yawn out a reply.

"What the f--- are you getting at…Itachi…"

Itachi paused, taking a look outside. The tree he had seen before was gone entirely. Suddenly, he knew. Without as much as a move, Itachi spoke once more, his expression remaining completely blank. "If you trust me and my judgement, Kisame…leave here now."

"What?"

"Leave here. Head back to headquarters and let them know I've run into something unexpected."

"Wh—"

Before the shark-head could bark out a rebuttal, Itachi turned around, quickly making eye contact with him. Kisame stopped in mid-word. That expression didn't cover his partner's face very often, but when it did, it meant he was _quite_ serious. And there were very few things that made him send away his partner. Kisame grit his teeth for a moment in consideration, then made a decision.

"Very well." Kisame reached behind the chair he had been seated in and grabbed his giant Samehada. "You _better_ come back alive, though." Without another word, he marched out of the building, lightly slamming the door behind him.

Itachi closed his eyes. _20 long years…_he could hear the presence on the roof. _It's been 6 since…that began. _He was certain that Kisame would hear it too, if he wasn't still half-asleep. _How many more until it ends? _Itachi lifted the collar of his black and red coat up once more, in order to cover his mouth. _Even if Kisame did notice it_, Itachi thought…_I'm certain that he would trust my word and go._

After all, this was a family affair.

After a couple of minutes, Itachi slowly made his way out of the front door. Looking up to the sky, he noted the clouds to the west in the distance seemed less condensed…the storm would let up soon. You wouldn't be able to tell that now, however, for the torrential downpour showed no signs of ending. Still standing beneath the extensions of the roof, Itachi grabbed his straw hat from the door handle, and placed it on his head. Then, he leaped onto the roof.

Landing on the edge of the extension, he glanced forward. As expected, a young man—about the same size as he—stood, his fists balled. The man wore all black…a short sleeved shirt and long pants. His left arm had a large bandage wrapped around the elbow…his right was covered in bandages. There seemed to be a large leather wrapping around the bandages, locking them in place. His shruiken holster was tied to his left leg, facing outside. Itachi made note of his fairly pale skin…and that his black hair had a certain hint of blue to it. As a particularly fierce bolt of lightning struck to the side of them, Itachi made eye contact with the brown-eyed one…his brother.

"I see you found me, Sasuke."

Sasuke remained still, his face contorted in anger. Itachi smiled beneath the hem of his jacket. _He still carries the old hatred…my hope lives on._ Itachi spoke once more. "It has been 3 years since we last met, brother. I hope you've improved since last time."

Sasuke's face revealed an evil smirk. "You had a five year head start on me…but that's not going to matter any more."

Indeed, when 5 years was more than half of Sasuke's life, that had made all the difference. Sasuke remained in the shadow of Itachi always…and when Itachi killed the Uchiha clan, he had left his brother alive…still in his shadow…Sasuke's only destiny being to finish Itachi with the avengement of his parents.

Now, that destiny seemed to be begging for fulfillment. Sasuke slowly tilted his body a bit to the right, taking a step back with his right foot.

Quickly, Sasuke's hands rattled off seals. Even without the Sharingan, Itachi knew what was coming. _Brother, you're far too predictable..._

"Katon! Gokyakuu no jutsu!"

Itachi always anticipated a fire attack from nearly any ninja of the house of Uchiha...especially Sasuke. Evading to the side, he was surprised when his side roll was met...Sasuke was right there as he rose from his roll. _He's faster than before...I mustn't be sloppy. _Sasuke's left leg came hurtling towards Itachi's head in a roundhouse kick...Itachi caught it, then turned his head to another noise he heard.

Above him, another Sasuke was dropping from the sky, a kunai barred in his right hand..._nothing more than a bunshin..._Itachi quickly spun around and tossed the body of the grounded Sasuke towards the airborne one, foot first...

Both collided, then exploded with a puff of smoke.

_Kage bunshin, huh...you've gotten a bit better..._

From out of the smoke came an outstretched foot...a jump kick...Itachi easily leaped back, backflipped, then leaped into the air.

As Sasuke landed on the ground, Itachi landed back on the roof, and folded his arms. Even though neither of them had activated their Sharingan, Itachi could already tell that the boy had not done enough to achieve his goal…or Itachi's. _What the heck has he been doing for three years? Perhaps his hatred isn't as strong as I thought…_

He called down to Sasuke. "You've improved…but not nearly enough to defeat me…"

Sasuke's body twitched in anger at that comment, and he leaped up to the roof once more…

Immediately, he blazed forward full speed at his brother...yet neither activated their Sharingan. Sasuke charged in, throwing a strong right hook as soon as he was in range. Itachi was a bit surprised by the guts his brother had to charge in as such...but he easily ducked the attack. As he did, he saw Sasuke's left knee come up towards his gut.

Acting on instinct, Itachi used both hands to shove the knee as far to the side of him as he could...Sasuke took the momentum this gave him and continued that way, spinning around and kicking the leg up....turning his hip, he attempted to bring the foot around to the back of Itachi's head...Itachi simply tilted his head to the side and back, letting the kick glide by.

_This is too simple, _thought Itachi. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a sound he hadn't expected...

Birds.

_In the middle of a thunderstorm?_ Admittingly, the storm was beginning to lighten, but there still was no way...

Not a moment too soon, he made the connection between birds and the chidori...as Sasuke attempted to jab directly through his heart...

With no true conscious thought, Itachi tilted his body sideways, causing the attack to be less on target...quickly his hands reached up and wrapped the extended thrusting arm of Sasuke into an armbar. He pushed sharply on the boy's bicep, and knocked him off balance. Then, just as what had just happened began to register to Sasuke, Itachi released the armbar, and sent a massive backhanded fist across his brother's face. Sasuke flew from the building roof, turning in midair and falling face first onto the ground....

Itachi frowned, and walked back to the side of the roof he had originated from. A moment later, he saw Sasuke climb the roof, and return to his original spot. Sasuke still had the drive to fight, Itachi noticed, but this had become pointless. As Sasuke regained his focus and began to step toward the middle, Itachi remained emotionless.

"Like I said…you're not ready for me…."

Itachi paused for a moment, looking Sasuke in the eye. _If hate wasn't a good motivator against me…maybe it's time I told him the truth._

"NOR are you ready to face Orochimaru."

Sasuke froze in midstep. His face twisted in malice. "Orochimaru? Why would I wish to face him?" Slowly, he stepped forward once more, making his way towards Itachi. "Why…"

Itachi suddenly noticed a mark on the boy's neck…

"Why would I want to face the man who gave me everything I needed…to destroy you?"

Making note of the boy's words, Itachi focused on that mark. It seemed to be 3 circles…each with a tail…like small tadpoles…each was black. As he watched, these marks seemed to spread out, and more appeared…soon Itachi made the connection between words and actions…

"You didn't…"

Itachi watched as the boy's body slowly began to become covered in these marks…and a purple aura began to flow around the boy. _What the heck…some kind of seal…a curse, in fact…_

Two and two make…

_"YOU FOOL!!!!" _Itachi stomped loudly on the roof as he figured it all out. "How could you possibly BE so…" Most folks would have been surprised to see Itachi get this emotional...Sasuke found the reaction to be quite interesting, though in truth, he didn't care.

"You will die here…Uchiha Itachi…"

_Orochimaru…dam- it…no…_Itachi frowned. The wind began to blow, tossing his jacket about him a bit, as he took the collar down from around his mouth. "Sasuke…you have Sharingan…you see…but you do not look…you hear, but you do not listen…"

"YOU KILL BUT YOU DO NOT FEEL REMORSE…" Sasuke balled his fists tighter, a sadistic smile crossing his face. "I am an avenger…and I have done what I needed to ensure my parents' revenge."

Itachi closed his eyes. He knew his brother would not stop until he had succeeded in killing him. Yet, he never anticipated the boy would lose faith in himself. _He couldn't do it on his own…and Orochimaru gave him power. I miscalculated…_

"You are too weak, Sasuke…Orochimaru will take you…**I **am not the bad guy here…"

"You…brother…you are the only one who mattered. To father…to the people of Konoha…to everyone. I have lived in your shadow long enough! I have surpassed you!"

"Dam- it are you even listening?! This isn't about me!" Itachi cursed mentally, seeing that this would get out of hand VERY quickly if he didn't do something. "Listen to me, Sasuke…this is not the way this is meant to end. My life's work…everything I've tried to do would be in vain if we continue this…father's death would be in vain…"

Sasuke paused momentarily. Itachi took that pause to mean interest.

"Brother…you've made a grave mistake that must be rectified as soon as possible. It is time…that I showed you what REALLY happened that day…"

Suddenly, as lightning struck once more in the background, it was apparent that Itachi had activated his Sharingan. Sasuke attempted to look away, but it was too late…Itachi had caught his gaze. Sasuke's neck muscles twitched as he attempted to force movement…but he couldn't.

Itachi's deep red eyes suddenly changed… "Mangekyou Sharingan technique…Tsukiyomi!"

Suddenly, with a consequential loss of chakra, Itachi activated his ultimate genjutsu…as he did so he could feel his brain lose control for a moment…his nervous system overreacted to the images it was gathering to show Sasuke, and his muscles tightened in an unexpected way…it was as if he had actually just fought Orochimaru to the death. Indeed, Tsukiyomi was a technique that hurt his mind to perform.

Yet, as he blinked himself out of the haze that this technique always attempted to put him under, he began to realize something was wrong. His eyes widened as something pierced his stomach…he dropped to his knees…_This is…no…what…how…_

As he looked up, he noticed saw the blood red sky…and the moon…and recognized his position as the one his father had been in…when death came for him.

_He REVERSED Tsukiyomi??!?_

As the move ended, Itachi fought the urge to just collapse, gripping the roof hard with his hands, and attempting to push himself back to his feet. As he looked back up towards his adversary, quite the sight awaited him.

Sasuke…had the mangekyou. Itachi lowered his head, cursing his weakness in not killing the boy when he had the chance. Yet what happened next surprised him even more.

Step.

"You told me once…"

Step.

"that in order to gain these eyes…"

Step.

"you had to kill someone close to you."

Step.

"Only through death could ultimate power be gained…"

Step.

Itachi paused, giving up his effort to rise for a moment. "So you went and killed someone…"

Sasuke sneered, an evil look that Itachi had only seen on one other. "Yes…Sakura died for me."

Itachi didn't really know who that was, but apparently she had really cared for Sasuke. Itachi fought back a tear…_this kid is far worse than I ever was…_

It was out of his hands now…Sasuke was in control of this battle, Itachi knew. But, it wasn't time to give up hope yet. "Don't you realize…you're…falling…into a trap…"

Sasuke didn't want to hear that at all. "I'll deal with that when I come to it…but you are the villain of my life, Itachi…my parents cry out for revenge…"

Itachi sighed, noticing how hazy the roof looked. _Not only did I DO Tsukiyomi, but I experienced it…that's too much even for me…but I…have to…keep…_ "MY parents cry for revenge too, Sasuke…we are both avengers…"

Itachi reached into his jacket…and pulled out a small book. As he did, the rain began to slow, and soon became nothing more than a continuous mist. Itachi tossed the book onto Sasuke's foot. Curious, Sasuke's curse seal receded, and the boy reached down and grabbed the book. Opening the cover, he read the first page slowly.

_"Journal_

_Year 14 Day 200_

_Sasuke graduated from the academy today…"_

Sasuke blinked. "Your diary?"

Itachi nodded, slowly willing himself to stand once more. His stance wavered slightly as he attempted to keep himself steady. "Read it. It will tell you the truth of what happened those days…you should be able to tell when I wrote it."

Sasuke shook his head. "I saw what deception you tried to pull just now, traitor. I will not fall for your tricks." Sasuke turned, and threw the diary over the roof and into the trees. His curse seal reactivated, filling the air with purple chakra once more.

Itachi felt his legs attempting to give out once more beneath him, and frowned. A single tear rolled down the arches of his nose as the normally poker-faced young man cried. "Then…it was damned from the beginning." _So be it…_ "and…the only way to stop Orochimaru…"

Itachi made eye contact with his brother once more… "…is to do what I couldn't will myself to do before." Itachi's eyes glowed with intensity, and a low, guttural growl leaked from his lips. Suddenly, a huge mass of violent red chakra began to flow from his body…clashing in midair with the purple chakra of Kuro Sasuke. "Prepare yourself, brother…it ends here." Itachi reached up into his eye and swiped quickly, dragging the tears from his eye out and instantaneously flinging them away. "One way…or the other."

**_T O B E C O N T I N U E D . . . _**

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AN:

Believe it or not, this story is actually NOT going to be about these characters...but the prologue is. Sasuke-Itachi fans...enjoy the moment. In the end this fic may very well PO all of you.


	2. The Beginning of the End

AN : For those who don't normally read my stuff, you MAY want to read "What If" first…it's the short story that this entire arc depends upon. In summary, Itachi is not the bad guy we think he is…Orochimaru did all the dirty work.

A warning comes to mind: This story is rated...it's rated because it's violent. Very violent. It's rated because many people will die. It's rated because...it'll make little kids VERY sad. Heck...it's rated because it made ME very sad writing it. It'll make suicidal people...well let's hope it's not _that _dark. But, this should not be read in conjunction with Harry Potter Book 5, or any other depressing activities. Anyway...on with the show.

Yondaime-dono presents:

_From the "What If" Story Arc:_

**_Lost Hope_**

**_Prologue II: The Beginning of the End_**

****

It began in rain…it would end in blood.

On top of the roof of a random building in Water Country, two former ninjas of the Hidden Leaf were squaring off in a decisive battle. Had anyone been around to watch, they would have seen the chakra flowing from each of their bodies…the dark, purple chakra flowing from the curse seal on Uchiha Sasuke, and the deep, red chakra that matched the Sharingan eyes of Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother.

Itachi had dominated his brother initially, but the revelation of the curse seal and the Mangekyou Sharingan had changed the scenario drastically. Instead of this being training for Sasuke to someday defeat Orochimaru, Itachi recognized this battle for what it was: a battle with a henchman of his one mortal enemy. The fact that this henchman happened to be his younger brother was something he would be forced to forget.

The effects of using and experiencing Tsukiyomi had taken their toll on Itachi…he slipped into a right side stance and leaned on his back leg to steady himself. Sasuke stood confidently, unmoving.

Each waited for the other to make the first move, eye contact unchanging as the rain began to die down…Mist Country's notorious fog was lighter than normal due to the drop in humidity from all the rain…yet even so, you could not see the ground clearly from the rooftop battle arena.

It almost seemed the two shinobi were waiting for some type of signal as they squared off. Each of them could clearly see the chakra of the other…in fact, their chakra was beginning to clash at the middle of the roof. Both seemingly came to the same decision…

Taijutsu.

Both fighters took off running toward the middle of the roof…Itachi reacted a moment earlier once in range, tensing his leg muscles just slightly…

Sasuke read the leg movement, quickly setting himself up to counter. With just a split second pause, Sasuke vaulted himself into the air, preparing to jump kick Itachi out of his current plan of attack.

Then he noticed Itachi still on the ground…_interesting time for a feint…right at the beginning. _

Itachi didn't smirk at all, but he did notice Sasuke's smirk. With Sasuke's leg outstretched in the beginnings of a jump kick, Itachi quickly took the initiative, sidestepping just slightly, and then pushing down on Sasuke's leg as it passed by. Both pushing Sasuke down and vaulting himself up slightly, Itachi quickly changed the situation into one where Sasuke would probably fall forward, face first into his waiting knee…

Itachi was quite surprised when Sasuke stopped on a dime, however. Then, a moment later, he was gone.

_Yikes…he's fast…_

Itachi kept his eyes and ears open, and was rewarded a moment later. Hearing a small swish of air, Itachi tilted his body right just in time to avoid being split in two by a powerful kunai strike. With unforeseen speed, he slipped his right pinky into his own pocket and scooped out one of his own kunai. Spinning it for a moment, he adjusted quickly as Sasuke's blade came slashing in once more, diagonally at Itachi's right shoulder blade.

Itachi quickly flipped the kunai from his pinky, grabbing it in midair tightly with his fist directly before the slash reached…the loud clang of metal could be heard instantaneously. As that moment finished, before a clash of weapons could be met with a dirty trick or a face to face growl, Itachi had taken a step back with his right foot, and hooked his left hand around his back to grab another kunai from the pocket…

Sasuke recognized his disadvantage right away. With a flick of the wrist, Itachi turned the kunai in his right hand back inside before Sasuke could react, and—returning his left hand to the front of his body—began to take the offensive. Itachi danced forward with the two kunai, striking forward at Sasuke's head with the one in his right hand. Sasuke was quick enough to dodge, tilting his head to the right…Itachi lunged towards his chest with the left…only to find he had managed to continue the lean to the right to begin a roll.

Itachi threw a couple of kicks at a grounded Sasuke as the boy untucked his roll…Sasuke managed to evade them, but they were serving their purpose all the same. Itachi was on his feet, and Sasuke was off balance. One slightly mistimed kick later, however, and Itachi was forced to watch Sasuke backflip away from him.

That was all he needed. In the one moment in midair before Sasuke turned his vision back towards Itachi…the entire fight changed. Itachi dropped his other kunai.

Rattling off seals like no tomorrow, Itachi managed to complete the seals for 3 jutsu before Sasuke had completed enough of his backflip to see Itachi. _Gotta finish before he lands…_"Katon! Karyuu Endan!" Itachi took the deepest breath he could, and released perhaps the strongest single fire attack there was…

Sasuke had no choice but to watch it coming…there weren't a lot of things he could do in midair, especially considering his backflip had only given him a split second's reaction time. The attack hit him…

And he evaporated. _Mizu bunshin? _Itachi hadn't even noticed when Sasuke dropped his kunai…his eyes went open almost immediately as a grand fireball flew at him from out of the steam…yet he made no effort to move.

Suddenly, a massive wall of ice seemingly materialized from nowhere…the fireball hit the ice and barely made a dent, though a considerable amount of water began to flow from the wall…Itachi stood perfectly still, calculating the next part of the plan.

He was quite surprised when a kunai stabbed him in the back.

Sasuke had seen the plan coming, and was standing behind Itachi…he rammed the kunai as deep into his brother's flesh as he could, pinning the elder against the wall of ice. "Too easy…" With a sadistic grin, he twisted the kunai…

Indeed, it was too easy…the kunai twisted with little to no resistance…Sasuke caught on just a moment too soon and jerked his head. Spotting something in the very corner of his eye, he quickly turned and instinctively grabbed above his head.

He just so happened to grab Itachi's left wrist…which was holding a long kunai inches away from his face. Thanking his luck, he wrenched his grip on the wrist as fast as he could, forcing Itachi to drop his kunai from the pain. Sasuke didn't realize it just yet, but he had just broken Itachi's wrist…he took a step back, watching his brother leer.

It took a few seconds of yelling, but Itachi soon recovered a bit of his composure. Closing his eyes and forcing his brain to ignore the pain, he opened them again to see Sasuke a foot away from him, yelling at the top of his lungs and diving in for a punch. The look on his face was pure rage…Itachi panicked and raised his arms to block, yet was careful enough to keep his eyes open (so that he'd have some hope of actually blocking it).

A moment later, he felt the punch plow through his arm…the purple chakra flew forward in a gust of wind, lashing across the body of Itachi. Eyes wide open, he became aware of something slowly…he was…moving?

Itachi's eyes went wide again. _The punch sent me airborne? How? I know I blocked it…_he couldn't get control of his legs fast enough, and soon he felt himself gliding off of the roof…

Manipulating his body weight as best as he could, he started a flip, attempting to gain balance once more. As he reached the ground, he landed on his hands, and began to twist his arms around so that he could face his brother by the time his feet hit the ground. Unfortunately, that turn never happened…he felt the bones in his right arm begin to snap under the pressure, and he quickly slid his arms out from under him and fell to the ground with a wet smack.

Itachi was very slow to get up. _What immense power, _he thought. _I blocked, and he nearly broke my arm…_

Sasuke stood on top of the roof, silently watching his brother arise… the more he watched of him, the more the anger seemed to come to the surface…

As Itachi rose back to his feet, he tried his best to come up with a plan. _Genjutsu is pointless if we both have the mange sharingan…and my body won't be able to keep up the pace I need for taijutsu…that only leaves one option…_

A few moments later, Sasuke watched his brother leap back onto the roof. Something about him seemed…different. A moment ago, he seemed quite surprised and off balance by Sasuke's power. Now, however, the look in his eyes expressed pure, unadulterated focus.

Itachi hid his emotions as best he could…something in him did not like the risk he was about to take. He liked it even less when he saw Sasuke reach for his right arm, and loosen his arm wrappings…

Sasuke made eye contact with Itachi once more as he began summoning the chidori…Itachi could hear the chirping of the birds grow louder…he saw the purple aura of chakra around his brother grow brighter and more violent…and he knew it would come down to this. _He seems to be getting stronger as this continues…I have to end it here._

Itachi waited…hearing the chirping grow louder…_there will be a moment…when there is an opening…if I can just make him miss…_

Itachi began forming the seals for an attack he was almost certain Sasuke would not have seen before…when suddenly something dawned on him…it sounded like the birds were flying away…

He caught on…not a moment too soon…a second Sasuke had just shown up behind him…his own chidori prepared to strike right through the spinal cord of Itachi. Itachi instinctively leaped sideways, evading the thrust…suddenly, the one in front of him came rushing into the fray…going straight for the chest…Itachi managed to twist sideways…

_This is NOT good_, he thought. _As long as there's nothing for the attack to hit, the energy will just stay there…he's taking high-percentage shots…I won't be able to keep up this evading for long…_

Itachi continued to evade for as long as he could, even taking to the floor for a moment in attempting to coax them into a mistake. He succeeded when one of the Sasuke's missed a strike, and plowed their hand through the roof of the building. Yet, when he pulled his hand back out of the roof, the chidori still sang loudly…

_That curse seal must be feeding chakra to the attack…_unfortunately, this meant he gained nothing, and that now he was facing them from the ground…_crap!_

Both Sasukes thrust their hands through Itachi's chest…and were surprised when he turned into a log…that they both had their hands stuck in…

"You want me to get that off for you?"

Both Sasukes looked at each other, then toward the direction that taunt had come from…by the time they noticed the situation fully, Itachi was already in full yell…completing the hand seals he had begun earlier that day…each of his hands began performing a different combo of seals.

"It ends here, Sasuke!"

He completed the last seal on his left hand, and suddenly a glowing red "_Ho_" kanji appeared in front of his hand. A moment later, his right hand began to produce wind…the "_kaze"_ kanji appearing before it….

As Itachi yelled once again, the red chakra of Itachi made its presence known…the Sasukes looked down as they felt the floor begin to shake…Itachi brought the seals close to each other, and they began to react to each other…

**"Secret Konoha Technique! Kakuro Kamaitachi!"**

Itachi shot forward both of his hands, and suddenly, the red chakra began to retreat back into himself…as though his body were a vacuum…soon, a giant wind shot forth from his right hand…a moment later, a spark flew. Suddenly, a large, black fire burned on his right hand. The fierce winds picked up and fanned the flames, sending them directly at the two Sasukes…

Itachi screamed with all his might, pouring as much of his chakra into it as possible…he was not entirely surprised when he saw the purple chakra rise up around one of the boy's bodies….the other was incinerated in an instant. _This is it…the best chance I could ask for…_

Both warriors screamed with all their might…the curse seal was protecting Sasuke, but it was absorbing much of his strength in order to do so…Itachi, on the other hand, was relying strictly on his own chakra reserves. A war of attrition began, and both knew the other could not last much longer.

Itachi deactivated his Sharingan. Knowing how much it sapped him to perform multiple techniques at once, he focused on just this one. This would be his last…he looked intently at Sasuke…so close, yet so far away…he felt his muscles scream at him to stop this madness…

_Sasuke…how I wish I had just told you the…_

Itachi's thought was cut off by the sound of a heavy impact. He didn't realize his mind had drifted until he heard that sound. And it only took one look to tell what that sound was…

Itachi looked forward. Before him, there lay a smoldering pile of…burnt wood. But, it was when he looked down and saw the hand extended through his chest, that he knew he had reached his last.

_--Twist--_

Blood…as Sasuke twisted his arm within his brother's body, and then pulled it out, he shuddered at just how much blood went flying everywhere…his brother's body convulsed a couple of times before it simply fell to the ground…

Itachi's eyes looked up into his brother's…he knew his final mistake…turning off the Sharingan. Itachi wanted to say something to Sasuke…but as he attempted to inhale again he felt everything go wrong…he concluded no speech would be coming from him anymore. He grimaced for a moment before hiding the pain behind his traditional poker face…the one he'd been putting on since his childhood to hide his emotions…yet his eyes betrayed his last thoughts…

"_Forgive me brother…for not telling you the truth when it mattered…"_

Sasuke stared, curse seal receding from his limbs, and silently watched his brother's body quiver…then freeze in his ever expressionless face…

The dark seal receded from Sasuke's body and returned to his neck…slowly, he regained control of his rage. It took a few moments for Sasuke to even realize the magnitude of what he had done. Itachi's husk of a body lay before him, its mangled chest filled with deep red blood. His eyes—as always—revealed little of the pain he must have experienced through his last breath.

Sasuke took a knee next to the body and took a quiet look into those eyes. A quivering hand reached and cradled Itachi's cheek. As the light of the sun returned to the storm-assaulted shack, old feelings slowly returned to Sasuke, and the tears began to fall. No longer blinded by rage and hatred, the Avenger had become the younger brother once more.

Reaching to the face of Itachi, Sasuke silently closed his eyelids…he could no longer bear looking into those eyes. Doing so made him feel a lifetime of pain…one that he could not distinguish as Itachi's or his own. Slowly, Sasuke prostrated himself on the roof, praying for forgiveness. "Dear God…S…Sa…Sakura…" His body quivered from the amount of chakra the curse seal had devoured, and in disgust of his previous actions…actions that he had ignored out of necessity came back in an instant, in full gory detail. The blood…

"Forgive me…"

It may have been his life's ambition…but Itachi was still his brother. And this final act of murder had not given him the happiness he had hoped to receive…it had only reinforced the idea in his mind…that he was fated to be alone. Sasuke cried without holding back, his entire body racked with sorrow.

He cried so hard that he barely heard the man leaping across the treetops behind him. Sasuke refused to turn around…his senses told him it was the same fellow who had left the building before his attack. Kisame looked at the scene once…and turned away. "Dam- it…I knew…" His fists balled involuntarily as he noticed the diary…Itachi had never let him read what was in there, but he knew Itachi carried it everywhere. Kisame took a deep breath, attempting to contain the anger rising up within him that made him want to tear this boy to pieces…there were things that needed to be said.

"You were wrong."

Sasuke's crying slowed, turning into a few sniffles as he avoided replying.

"You were entirely wrong. You had no reason to kill Itachi."

Sasuke paused, then sniffled once more.

"I have been his closest companion since that incident…and in the time I've been around him, he has never killed anyone in cold blood, unless forced to do so." Kisame balled his fists tighter in memory of those times. "He even stopped me from doing so…"

Sasuke slowly turned around to face Kisame, and was surprised by the sight he saw. Kisame was kneeling on the top of one of the small trees, at about the same height as the roof. He was holding the diary, and lightly turning through the pages of it. Despite the constant river of tears flowing down his face, his voice was solid and determined.

"That man was more innocent than you are…"

Normally, Kisame would have taken his Samehada and attempted to slice the boy in two. Yet, at the moment, he felt that would not be a testament to the memory of Itachi…instead, he tossed the diary back at Sasuke. It landed lightly in front of the boy, who quickly picked it up.

Kisame took a deep, shaky breath, and exhaled. "Read that. You need to know what force you've unleashed." Kisame forced his anger back once more, showing a side he'd never shown to an enemy before. "You killed my partner, and I should seek revenge…but that's done nothing good for any of us to this point. There are more important things to manage…HE will come soon."

Sasuke swallowed, clearing his throat, then spoke. "Take his body with you…bury it properly with the Akatsuki."

Kisame shook his head. "He was Konoha, boy…no more Akatsuki at heart than you. They deserve to know what happened…we are in this together now." His heart began to pound with adrenaline…battle would come soon.

Kisame quickly left the area, making his way to the temporary headquarters of the Akatsuki.

--

When Sasuke finished reading the diary, he felt sick. Worse than that, he felt worthless. Pounding his fists on the roof, he began to cry once more, loudly yelling to the clouds how he wished he'd never been born…Itachi's last words fit with the diary, and Sasuke couldn't get them out of his head.

"My brother…he didn't…he let himself be called a murder to drive me…to make me strong." Sasuke cursed. "I, who sold myself to Orochimaru for power…I killed two innocents…Sakura…" The death of both of them haunted his mind, and it took much time for him to gain control of his thoughts again.

Eventually, he made enough sense to take Itachi's body inside the building. Sitting and looking at the corpse of his brother, he balled his fist. _I will not let this be in vain. Now that I know…I must fight to the end of my existence._

Yet, even as he made his vow aloud, he knew how futile the effort would be. The old hatred had left him…the only thing left was self-loathing. He knew how much he had relied on the curse seal…and that reliance would be a hindrance in a battle against the man who controls it. The source of his drive to become stronger was gone…and he had little time before spies somewhere would discover the fate of Itachi. Once that had happened, Orochimaru would know his host was ready…

Sasuke cursed himself once more for not noticing sooner…Orochimaru had obviously made this entire plot. Now, instead of attempting to gain control of Itachi, whose will had been too strong to overpower…let alone being stronger than Orochimaru himself, the snakelike one had done him a step better. Now…Sasuke cursed again…now Orochimaru had the last of the Uchiha to himself, already broken and ready to be taken. Instead of attempting to housebreak a full-grown stallion like Itachi…he had taken a young one and raised it housebroken…_how could I not have noticed sooner?_

Sasuke traced his way through what Orochimaru would more than likely do next. Once he had Sasuke's body—and of course, a few days training in it—he would inevitably begin what he had started 3 years ago. Konoha would fall. And this time, there would be no miraculous saves…he had seen the Death Summoning Technique…there was no way he'd let it take him again. And if Konoha fell…

His head fell in disgust at himself as he realized the full magnitude of what he'd done. The Akatsuki would be little of a match…if Sasuke could take his brother, Orochimaru could certainly take the others. And no other village, Sasuke knew, had the power of Konoha. If Konoha fell, it would only be a matter of time until Orochimaru had control of everything…

As he ran through the list of Konoha ninja, he attempted to imagine who would be able to take Orochimaru…every scenario failed. Even Tsunade, whom Orochimaru talked of so often, did not sound like a match for a full-powered snake sennin. Especially with the mangekyou sharingan…Sasuke suddenly came to the realization that gaining that power had been the biggest mistake he'd ever made.

Slowly, he began to lose hope…but he did not give up completely. There had to be some way…something he could do to combat the unstoppable. Naruto…Jiraiya would be a major help…Tsunade too…and if Sasuke could somehow resist…but the chances were quite slim.

He would have to take a chance…after all it might be their only hope.

-----------

A few days later, a shadow made its way through the forests of Konoha, being quite careful not to be spotted by ANBU. In fact, that's quite literally what it was…a shadow. Using a lesser-known Genjutsu known as "Fukashi no jutsu", Sasuke was carefully making his way through the Konoha forests, completely invisible. True, his shadow was still obvious behind him as the sun shined on his brow…but that was why he spent so long in the forests. Traveling through the middle of the city might be difficult with your shadow showing…but the forests were so full of shadows that he could always find a way to blend his with a tree's when he needed to hide.

Sasuke knew what he needed to do, and how he needed to do it. Slowly, he made his way toward the Hyuuga mansion. He trained his Sharingan on everything that moved, watching to be sure he could get out of range of any Byakugan user who might happen to turn theirs on…but he had to stay nearby. Soon, he found the object of his quest.

3 years had passed, so he was not sure what to expect…but there was at least one person he figured might not scream when they saw him. Walking out of the Hyuuga residence was a girl…her right knee was clad in bandages around her navy blue pants…not because she was injured, but because it always was. She looked almost as he remembered her…wearing her hitai-ate around her neck, and wearing the big brown jacket. However, 3 years had caused major changes, he noticed as she turned toward the gate and closed it.

Though her bangs at the front looked exactly the same, Hinata's sleek blue hair now reached to the small of her back. She looked…much more mature now (AN: Take that as you shall )…Sasuke couldn't help but be surprised to see what three years had done. Still, ogling the girl was nowhere near as important as his mission. He waited until she had gotten significantly away from Hyuuga mansion, then he began to tail her.

Slowly tracing her path, Sasuke was careful not to make any noise. Hinata met momentarily with Shino, mentioning something about getting back together later…then, she made her way into the forest. About 10 minutes later, she stopped, deep in the middle of the forest. Sasuke smiled. She was training. A part of him registered the danger that was about to happen, but he recognized it was inevitable. Hinata activated her Byakugan, focusing on a tree in front of her…

She attacked for a few moments before suddenly stiffening up, and standing upright. Her tongue licked her lips lightly as she considered what her eyes had spotted. "Whoever you are…show yourself…"

He could tell she was attempting to hide the edge on her voice, but she obviously wasn't ambushed very often. Sasuke calmly deactivated his invisibility jutsu. "Calm down…and don't freak." Immediately, he leaped from his hiding spot into a branch in front of her, and then dropped down in front of her. Hinata's eyes focused on the form in front of her…the fellow looked somewhat familiar…

Eventually, her memory banks recognized him…"Uchiha Sasuke…what in the world are you doing…"

Sasuke smiled. "At least you didn't entirely freak. Nearly any other girl in Konoha would have been screaming by now. That's exactly why I took a chance on you…"

Hinata raised an eyebrow.

Sasuke took the opportunity to take a look around the area, now having to be conscious of his surroundings since he was visible and all. "Hyuuga Hinata…let's talk somewhere else…there are safer places for discussion." Hinata looked carefully at the boy, noting that his Sharingan weren't activated, and that she couldn't sense any killing intent from him. A small part of her wanted to scream and call for others, but another part was quite curious as to _why_ a Konoha missing-nin would suddenly show back up after 3 years…to her specifically. Remaining as poker-faced as possible, she silently nodded.

--

Hinata blinked, struggling to contain the vast amount of information that was being related to her. Only 2 hours ago, she had almost forgotten the existence of the raven-haired boy before her. And now, here she sat, in the middle of Sasuke's old apartment, the only person who knew anything of what he'd been through the last 3 years. He hadn't hidden a single detail from her, and she was amazed at how simply he poured his heart out to her…like a small child.

In fact, that's what he reminded her of…a small, heartbroken child.

She felt quite burdened by the pain of his story, especially when he burst into tears…and he told her about Sakura. Sakura had come up missing a few months earlier, and Hinata had expected the worst.

Sakura…the first person besides Naruto to really reach out to Hinata and make her feel welcomed. Sakura was truthfully the only female friend Hinata had ever had…Naruto was always warm to her…Neji had made his peace with her…Kiba and Shino were like older brothers…but the girls were never the same. Hinata had been too shy to have random "girl talk" with anyone. Yet, Sakura always managed to make Hinata come out of her shell.

As she realized that she'd never see her pink-haired friend again, Hinata hugged Sasuke close, and they cried together.

--

Soon, the entire, sad story was nearly related in full. Hinata shuddered at the gory detail as Sasuke's words seemingly etched the scenes into her mind. Yet, she remained silent and let him tell his tale without interruption. He told her about his final confrontation with Itachi…and how he succeeded…

…and how his success was in itself a failure…

As Sasuke's voice began to falter, and his tone turned darker, she realized where he was going. Her hands began to tremble at the thought of what his mistake was going to bring to Konoha…to the people she loved. Tsunade had once told her that nothing in the ninja world was exactly as it appeared…as she learned of Itachi, she realized just how true this was. _It is unfortunate that no one ever told that to Sasuke_, she thought.

Finally, Sasuke grew silent. Hinata took a deep breath once more, attempting to process all the information he had given her. "Is…is there _any_ hope of stopping him?" She could feel her voice falter…3 years may have strengthened her, but this was the fate of an entire village they were talking about, and it had her quite unsettled.

Sasuke frowned and shook his head no. "Gaining the Mangekyou Sharingan…was the biggest mistake I ever made. If Orochimaru is able to get his hands on my body, it's very unlikely that anything will be able to stop him."

Hinata's looked down, not sure what to think anymore.

Sasuke continued. "So…the only thing that could possibly stop him would be to prevent him from getting me…"

Hinata raised an eyebrow, and she quickly began considering the options. Suicide was the first thing that came to mind, but she knew she'd never have the nerve to even bring that up as anything more than a last resort. The idea also crossed Sasuke's mind, but he suspected that the curse seal would stop him from ever doing such a thing…and failing an attempt might be the last thing he ever did.

Sasuke paused for a moment, then continued once more. "Hinata, this is why I told you this…nearly anyone else I would have tried would have made a mess of this. The guys probably would have killed me on sight. Most of the girls would have either screamed, or made far too much of a scene. I have to be very careful not to be spotted…Orochimaru's spies are probably everywhere."

She nodded, understanding the need for stealth in this situation. Admittingly, she was slightly surprised that he chanced it all on her…but there had to be more to it than that.

Sasuke began to count people on his fingers… "Jiraiya…Tsunade…Kakashi…Hiashi…myself…Neji…and Naruto. As far as I can tell, these are probably the only people who would stand any chance of hindering Orochimaru. We're going to need them all. That's the other reason I trusted you…I know Naruto will listen to you…and believe you." Naruto may have been foolish, but Sasuke knew…Jiraiya was one of the few people Orochimaru still talked about with any level of true respect.

She frowned. _Naruto-kun…_her eyes began to trace the fan pattern etched into the floor…true, she had done a lot in the last few years to stop being so shy…but when it came to that name…

Sasuke grabbed her shoulders, shaking her lightly. As her head jerked up, he made eye contact with her…his eyes betrayed his desperation. "Hinata! This is of the utmost importance! You have to tell Naruto…get him to tell all of those folks…we're going to need everything we have to stop him…Orochimaru…he won't give up until he's _dead, _Hinata…"

Hinata looked away again, and Sasuke shook her once more lightly. "What's wrong, Hinata?"

Slowly, as though an internal struggle were happening, Hinata clenched her eyes shut. Her lip began to quiver, and Sasuke couldn't help but see the tears well up in her eyes. "Sasuke-san…Naruto-kun…has been gone as long as you have…"

Sasuke's eyes widened…

"He…he and the sennin Jiraiya…they left after he returned from trying to bring you back…we haven't heard from them in years…"

Sasuke's eyes revealed his panic…"Without those two…"he pounded loudly on the table in frustration. "DAMN IT! MY EXISTANCE IS DAMNED! KONOHA IS DAMNED! WE'RE ALL going to die…" His voice began to falter…

Hinata wanted to console him in any way she could…but no words of encouragement would be worth anything now…she silently closed her eyes, desperately grasping for anything that could stop this from happening…

Sasuke bent down and leaned the top half of his body over the table before them…and cried dejectedly. The last straw…the final hope he had of possibly preventing things had been taken from him.

Despite all attempts to stop it, the self-loathing rose within him…_I single-handedly did everything my brother tried to prevent…I've destroyed my entire country…my clan will end in shame. _Pounding his fist upon the table, Sasuke bit his lip HARD…everything in him wanted to curse himself again aloud, but that would give them away. _I wish…I wish I had known, Itachi…I wish I hadn't given in…_

Hinata didn't know Sasuke at all before today…she only knew what the others had said about him. That the girls thought he was amazingly strong. That most of the guys either hated him…or refused to speak of him. Yet, in this situation, she couldn't help but sympathize with him. Even if it was someone she didn't know, she didn't like seeing anyone like this. She reached over to lend him a hand of support…a shoulder to cry on instead of a table…

…when suddenly, his head jerked up.

Stiff-necked, and wide-eyed, the tears running down his face and neck, he almost looked like he'd went into shock. Had he gone a second longer without moving from this unnaturally stiff position, Hinata would have activated her Byakugan to check him…but suddenly, he blinked. The look on his face didn't change much…but it was enough. Instead of surprise, his expression revealed conscious thought…calculation perhaps? Waiting a moment, noting his occasional sniffle…Hinata finally gave in to the confusion. "Sasuke-san?"

Without turning his head, he looked towards her in the corner of his eye…

"Hinata-san…"

"Sasuke?"

"Hinata…I just had another plan…"

Hinata makes eye contact with him…noticing the intense look on his face…she swallowed loudly as she realized how grim his gaze was. _That look…whatever his plan is…it's not going to save everyone…_

"Tell it to me."

Sasuke turned towards her. Her face showed an almost chaotic curiosity…but the more he thought of the plan that had come to mind, the less it sounded like something he wanted. "Hinata…this is going to require a level of commitment I could never ask of anyone…and there won't be long for a decision…"

Hinata kept her face straight as her mind concluded from his words. _This…this sounds like…_

_A suicide mission._

Silently, her eyes dropped down to the floor once more. Seeing the same symbol she had been tracing since Sasuke mentioned Naruto, her mind drifted. _The fan of the Uchiha…Sasuke's entire life has been for this symbol. If…if I can't…_even the thought of what might be coming from his lips next unsettled her. _But…at least…at least I know I've done something to protect those I care about. _When she raised her head again, her calmness almost surprised Sasuke. Slowly, she parted her lips and spoke.

"Like I said. Tell it to me."

--

Sasuke had cut directly to the chase…he told her his plan in ten minutes. Once he finished, he sat silently.

The next hour was perhaps the most difficult of her life. As she ran through all the different scenarios that could come from Sasuke's plan, she shuddered. As she had thought, this plan would not stop the violence to come completely. There was a possibility of success…but it would be a minute possibility. Her eyes watered as she considered the immense chances for total failure…she could picture her family…her friends…all slaughtered…

About a half hour into her deliberation, she broke down and cried. Sasuke frowned and watched quietly, feeling much like she had before. This was her decision though, he decided, and he would stay still and let her forget his existence as best as possible.

Hinata grieved loudly over the losses to come, covering her mouth with a pillow that she hugged close…even with success would come failure. For 15 minutes she could not be consoled. The opportunity to set things right completely…how she wished they had that opportunity. _Naruto-kun…how I wish you were here…_

Instead…she sniffled again…they were left with an imperfect plan with too many holes…one that would inevitably end all hope of her own survival. _Sakura…_as the pink-haired girl's face wandered into Hinata's thoughts, she found herself snagged on one particular thought.

_If I do this…_

She cleared the tears from her eyes and dried her face against the pillow. _Be strong, Hinata…_

Sasuke turned and watched as the girl became silent once more. It was obvious that she'd been crying for a long time. Slowly, she became conscious of his presence again, and she turned toward him.

"There is no choice. It's the only option…"

Sasuke could still tell she wasn't all for this. _Then again, _he reminded himself, _I'm not even for it. _He closed his eyes and fought back his own urge to cry…this whole situation reeked of hopelessness.

"Then it's agreed."

Hinata balled her fists, frustration at the situation suddenly rising to the surface. She pounded her fists on the table, not holding back at all. Much to Sasuke's surprise, her fists plowed straight through the table, splitting it in three.

"So be it. I do this…for Sakura."

Sasuke closed his eyes at that, and rose for his seat. "Yes…for Sakura." Said without thought...he didn't feel like crying anymore. He turned back towards her and made eye contact. "We can't meet here again."

Hinata thought for a moment, then replied…

"Sakura's place…"

Sasuke had begun to walk towards the door again, but he paused at this thought. A moment later, he walked again towards the door. "De wa…"

As soon as door closed, Hinata nearly smothered herself crying into the pillow…

--------End of Prologue-------

Other Author Notes:

In case you're confused about the technique Itachi used at the end...(Kakuro Kamaitachi), let me explain...you'll note that Kamaitachi is the name of the massive wind attack Temari performs with her fan...it is actually a technique that can be performed without the fan by a skilled ninja, however.

Ka is a Japanese word for "fire"...Kuro is "black"....if you're far enough in the anime you might remember when Jiraiya trapped the Akatsuki duo Kisame and Itachi within the summoned stomach of a giant toad. Itachi broke them free, however, with the use of a technique that created black fire and roasted a hole in the stomach. _That technique_ is the Kakuro. So the jutsu he performed just now is a combination of the two that spreads black fire pretty much everywhere in front of him.

I'll try to do better on the fight scenes in the future, especially considering there will be a few epic level encounters in this fic...the fight scene was admittingly the last thing I did in this, and I suffered from a slight bit of trouble writing it.

Not that Itachi dodging two guys throwing chidoris left and right wasn't cool...not that Kakuro Kamaitachi wasn't a good idea...not that Sasuke relying on the curse seal for everything wasn't pretty much what I wanted...something just didn't turn out right.

You know what? Don't be surprised if you look up tomorrow, and that whole fight scene is redone. It just feels like it lacks the emotion of the rest of the chapter. I won't NOT post it for that...I'll just replace it if I get some inspiration.

Anyways, thank you to all the reviewers (as always :D ) and feel free to continue leaving your comments!

As to those who wish to predict my plot...take a guess...but don't expect an answer!!!! :P


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